W

hether we have a quiet gathering at home with friends and family, throw or attend a party with a bonfire and barbeque, hit the town or take the family to see the fireworks, hike a mountain, celebrate it with champagne, dancing and kissing your loved ones when the clock strikes midnight or just have a nice wonderful sleep at home, we all tend to welcome the New Year in some way.

As for me, the temptation to spend the last night of 2013 with elves, hobbits, dwarves, werewolves and off course the legendary dragon was far too strong to resist. What'€™s better than having the experience of wandering around the mystical Middle Earth in The Desolation of Smaug through the 4-D movie at Blitzmegaplex Grand Indonesia?

As we stepped outside the mall, hundreds of thousands of people already swarmed the area, snaking along the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle and its surrounding streets, to watch the Jakarta Festival Night. Parents took their toddlers along. Lovers entwined their arms with eyes full of promises.

People crowded around snapping pictures of the thundering skies as fireworks began to dance, forming sparkling stars above. The falling silver-spark trail behind each glittering star looked like small thunder jets. It'€™s great to see.

Even the faint drizzle could not prevent the festival goers from staying out to wait for the countdown, while having fun and enjoying the celebration to mark the arrival of the New Year in the capital. Everyone stuck around to await the pinnacle of the event when the clock struck 12.

Already, the stars were falling. Large numbers of spark trailing stars falling slowly in an umbrella pattern dazzled the merry spectators during the interval. The deafening fireworks light up the skies. Many blew their trumpets ceaselessly. It was really something to behold.

I loved gazing at the glittering skies. But I disliked the raucous noises. Too much blaring sounds to suit my taste. What annoyed me more was that I saw people littering everywhere without any guilt. They threw plastics and waste without restraint despite the request from the Jakarta governor to keep the city clean. I bet the next morning, tons of waste had to be collected.

Fighting our way to the Sudirman train station was not an easy job. Several times we had to change our route as some main thoroughfares around the area were blocked. Walking amid oceans of people was really exhausting and got on our nerves.

What would normally take just a 15 minute walk from the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle to the train station took an additional 90 minutes. Arriving at the station did not automatically provide us with a means of escape. We just missed the last train. The additional train would only depart at 1.50 a.m. So, we had to wait for around two hours at the dimly lit station.

The platform was deserted when we got there. We were among the first to arrive. Unfortunately, as minutes went by, more people crowded the platform. Regardless of age and status; old and young, rich and poor; all gathered to wait for the last train to Bogor. Next to me was a family of six, stretching their legs to ease their exhaustion. Many others just slumped on the floor while as they chatted merrily about the fireworks they just saw. Some talked about the artists who performed on stage.

Well, despite the hangover clearly written on their faces, I spotted happiness as well. It'€™s a once in a year festival. It was just an opportunity to have fun before new dawn broke.

Yuni Herlina
Depok, West Java